Page:The principal navigations, voyages, traffiques and discoveries of the English nation 16.djvu/266

 and had inclosed them, hee returned backe without going any farther.

Nowe this captaine Don Diego de Almagro being slaine in the warres of Peru, another called Don Pedro de Baldiuia marching into Chili with foure hundreth horses, easily conquered that halfe of the countrey which was subiect to the kings of Peru. For knowing that Peru, being the chiefe countrey of their Emperour, was ouercome by the Spaniards, they also immediately yeelded their lande vnto them.

But the other halfe as it was the richest and the fruitfullest part, so God had peopled it with the most valiant and furious people in all America.

The prouince which they inhabite called El Estado de Arauco is but a small prouince about 20 leagues in length, and is gouerned by ten principall men of the countrey, out of which tenne they chuse the valiantest man for their generall in the warres. The kings of Peru in times past could neuer conquere this part of Chili, nor yet any other kings of the Indians. The weapons vsed by these people of Arauco are long pikes, halbards, bowes and arrowes: they also make them iacks of seale-skinnes, and head pieces: in times past the heads of their halbards and pikes were of brasse, but now they haue gotten store of yron. They pitch their battels in maner like the Christians: for putting their pikemen in rankes, they place bow[*-]men among them, and marshall their troupes with discretion and great valour. Now the Spaniards comming into this prouince sent word vnto them by other Indians, saying that they were the children of God, and came to teach them the word of God, and that therefore they ought to yeelde themselues vnto them; if not, they would shoot fire among them and burne them. These people not fearing the great wordes of the Spaniards, but desiring to see that which they had heard reported, met them in the field, and fought a most cruell battell: but by reason of the Spaniards great ordinance, and caliuers, they were in the end put to flight. Now these Indians thinking verily that the Spaniards were the children of God, because of their great ordinance which made such a noise, and breathed out such flames of fire yeelded themselues vnto them. So the Spaniards hauing diuided this prouince made the Indians to serue their turnes for getting of gold out of the mines, which they enioyed in such abundance, that hee which had least had 20000 pezos, but